Chapter 28
No, she couldn’t let this continue. If she did, she was literally going to lose it!
Xanthea gritted her teeth, bracing herself to use all her strength to strike at Orion’s nape with her bare hands.
But just as she was about to make her move, Orion collapsed onto her with a loud thump, like a machine that had suddenly been switched off, completely incapacitated.
Xanthea blinked in surprise and quickly crawled out from under him.
She clutched her tattered dress and stood by the bed, her expression one of righteous indignation, like a damsel who had been wronged. She rushed to kick his peacefully sleeping face, but stopped her foot just before it could touch him. No woman could bring herself to mar such a perfect face, but how could she let him off without teaching him a lesson after all the trouble to keep her first kiss intact for two lifetimes!
Biting her lip, Xanthea was pondering which cruel retribution to use when she noticed his robe was disheveled, exposing his chest.
Wait! She had always wanted to see if he had the iris tattoo on his chest, to confirm if he was her lifesaver. What better time than now?
She carefully knelt beside him, poking his face several times to ensure he didn’t react before she felt relieved.
It seemed she wasn’t misled; men really do lose certain abilities after drinking.
Gently, she lifted his robe, and as a stunning blue-purple iris slowly unfolded on his right chest, Xanthea was speechless.
Was it really him?
On her coming-of-age day, the person who saved her in the lake behind the garden wasn’t Matthew, but him!
It turned out he was her savior in a past life as well!
Xanthea sat dumbfounded on the bed, unable to fathom why he had helped her so much, saved her life, and never told her. Was it just to be a good person, or did he fear she would cling to him?
Underneath the iris tattoo was?
She couldn’t help but touch the uneven skin beneath the tattoo, which appeared to be old burn scars, probably from cigarette burns given their shape.
Who would dare to torture the heir of the Lockwood Group, leaving burn marks on his body?
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She remembered the old news about the brutal family feuds within the Lockwood Group. If they were true, then like her, Orion was just a child at the time, with no chance to resist, which might explain his current cold, distant demeanor. Perhaps the iris tattoo was meant. to cover those scars?
Xanthea felt a pang of sympathy, but her hand was suddenly grasped tightly by his.
“Ah!”
She screamed in fright, quickly shaking off his hand and looking at him as he crashed again, standing up with her heart still racing.
She was crazy, how could she feel sympathy for an almost-assailant!
But considering he had once saved her life, she would call it even. Besides, he had drunk so much, he probably wouldn’t remember whether he was embracing a person or a ghost tonight, and who were all those endearments and bizarre words meant for? It was hard to believe such a handsome, talented, and wealthy man would harbor unrequited love.
Forget it, she thought, better leave now. If he got up in a drunken frenzy and pinned her down again, she’d be utterly helpless.
Xanthea quickly got dressed and ran out. Reaching the hotel lobby, she remembered her camera and turned back, just in time to see the unmistakable outline beneath his robe, making her feet slick with fear.
A man that tall, that intimidating, could have been disastrous had he not passed out!
Back at Serenity Oaks Estates, the Nightshade family home.
In the dead of night, Xanthea crept into the house like a thief, just about to head upstairs when the lights flicked on. In the hall, her parents, Ethan, and Matthew sat neatly lined up.
Xanthea was dumbfounded.
Seeing her, Matthew rushed over, his face etched with concern, “Xan, where have been? I’ve searched the entire convention center and couldn’t find you!”
Christopher and Susanna said, “Xan, why are you back so late?”
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Ethan said, “About appearing on ‘The Masked Singer’ without giving us a heads-up, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”